


Sharehouse of Monsters

by thanku4urlove



Series: Monsters AU [1]
Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angels, Blood, Blood Drinking, Demons, Eldritch, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Self-Sacrifice, Serious Injuries, Spells & Enchantments, Were-Creatures, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-07 21:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20824373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanku4urlove/pseuds/thanku4urlove
Summary: Takaki Yuya is having a terrible week. First he loses his job, then all of his possessions are destroyed in a phoenix fire that consumes his apartment. Now he's wandering the streets with nothing more than his phone, his wallet, and the clothes on his back, trying to at least find somewhere to spend the night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My Halloween fic for 2017! I really love this AU, so I might revisit sometime. But for now--enjoy!

Takaki burrowed his hands deeper into his jacket pockets, ducking his head against the chill of the October wind. At least he still had his wallet, he thought to himself. At least he still had his wallet and his phone, but that was all he had.

It wasn’t his fault. He’d never liked his weird roommate or the man’s pet phoenix, but he’d never said anything, and now that had come back to bite him. Flammable pets were forbidden in Takaki’s apartment complex, and for good reason; when the phoenix had exploded into flames during his rebirth, Takaki had come back to find that the living space he’d filled his belongings had been turned to nothing but a blackened shell, and he’d been not-so-politely asked by their landlord to find a new place to live.

He’d been wandering for a couple of hours now, but hadn’t yet had much luck. Lucklessness had been a theme recently, and he couldn't help but grumble to himself slightly as he walked. He'd scoured the streets a couple of days ago, looking for a new place of employment--being laid off without warning had been a nasty way to start the week--but that search had left him empty handed, and this one wasn't going much better. He was jobless and homeless now, and Takaki realized that he would probably have to dip into the money he'd received post-mortem from his father, money that he hadn't wanted and still had yet to touch.

The thought of the man still left a slight bitterness in his mouth, though it had been a couple of years now and the taste has dulled slightly. Takaki didn't hate him, not really, but he couldn't ever remember liking him, either. The man had been so married to science and to his job he sometimes felt like a stranger, and for a man as smart as people said he was, he still had been tactless enough to think that monthly salary checks made up for missing things like graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries. Takaki didn't care much about what his father had done for him--or hadn't, more accurately--but what the man had done to his mom, how inadequate and lonely he had made her feel.

He could go back home, he realized, thinking of his mother. He'd be welcomed without question or consequence, and he loved his mother a great deal. But he liked his independence too, and didn't want to intrude too much on her life with her new fiancé. He pocketed the idea as a last resort, and continued to look for an apartment.

Unfortunately, nowhere felt right. The rooms were too dark, too small, or just made him uneasy. In the back of his mind Takaki knew he was probably being too picky, but he wasn’t going to let that feeling stop him from declining a room from a landlord whose toupee seemed to be moving all on its own. It wasn’t helping that he hadn’t seen the man blink for the past twenty-five minutes, either.

The more comfortable places were, as expected, more expensive, Takaki confronted all over again of the fact that he desperately needed a job, and the idea was an unpleasant one. On the bright side, at least, he was a human, so it would be easier for him to find work than many of the others living in Tokyo. Humans could use standard issue-sized doors and wear standard issue-sized uniforms, and didn’t need time off once a month to hunt, or feed, or transform. They were preferable to satyrs, orcs, or vampires, especially in customer service jobs, so he had that going for him, at least.

A sharehouse was advertising vacancy across the street, Takaki jogging over. The house looked nice, painted simply with a few flowerpots in the windows. A sign above the door proclaimed the place to be open twenty-four seven, Takaki about to knock when he noticed a smaller sign hung under the first one, saying ‘All Types Welcome’.

He paused. As with most people, he was okay with many non-human beings, like fairies, leprechauns, or mermaids, but there were some others--ones that sustained themselves on blood or other organs, for example--were ones he wasn’t too keen on sharing a living space with. Most places without creature restrictions ended up being more like a sanctuary for people like that, people that had a harder time getting apartment contracts or jobs. Takaki didn’t want to be the only human there.

By the time night had fallen though, he was still homeless. He cursed himself for being too critical as he checked into a cheap human hotel, promising himself this was going to be a simple one night fix before he could go out and look again. He purchased dinner and a few pairs of clothes before turning in for the night, reminding himself that tomorrow he needed to look for a job too, while he was at it.

He got in bed and tried to close his eyes, but he’d never liked hotels, and was met with the familiar, uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched. Every time he rolled and squeezed his eyes shut, prickles went up the back of his neck and he was forced to open his eyes again, staring up at the ceiling. He knew he simply needed to sleep, but his mind wouldn’t stop wandering to the dark corners of the room, and the lumpiness of the mattress definitely wasn’t helping.

Out of the corner of his eye, a shadow moved. At least, he thought it did, but after staring in the far left corner of his room for a good five minutes and seeing nothing, he got the feeling he was being paranoid. He just needed rest, forcing his eyes to stay shut.

It felt like hours, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before he gave up on sleep again, turning on his side and letting his eyes open. This time, unmistakably, there was _something_ standing over him, Takaki letting out a shout and scrambling backwards. He fell off his bed, the back of his head slamming into his bedside table and knocking it to the floor, crawling backwards to the wall and trying to see what the hell was in his room.

It was moving, continuously moving, but at the same time he couldn’t make out a shape. It moved fluidly, too thick and tar-like to be a mist, arms disappearing and reappearing rapidly. Countless eyes shone in the moonlight through the window, all different sizes, all cat-like and yellow, disappearing in a blink and reappearing in the blackness. Mouths opened and teeth gnashed, large and sharp as talons. The only thing unmoving was the monster’s head, sitting atop the writhing mass below, protruding horns sharpening to points. It was staring down at him, slowly getting closer, and that’s when Takaki noticed arms reaching in his direction, thick and black and extending into claws. He stumbled to his feet, wanting to bolt for the door, but his legs were weak with fear. He didn’t know how, or why, but he knew this thing wanted to kill him.

Takaki bent, reaching for the only thing in the room he could see that would help him defend himself; the lamp that had fallen from the bedside table. The base was ornate, made from a heavy dark metal, the bulb having broken when it fell to the floor. His hands slid over the broken glass, but Takaki barely registered it cutting into the flesh of his hand as he picked the lamp up, holding it tightly in both hands.

“You.” The monster spoke, its voice sharp and cold as death. “Your blood did this to me.”

A wretched scream reached Takaki’s ears, coming from every inch of the creature’s being, and it lunged at him, rushing him in a mass of black. Takaki yelled back, too terrified to keep his eyes open, swinging the lamp base at the thing. It connected to something hard, jarring his muscles for a moment before passing through, and Takaki realized a second later that he wasn’t dead. He opened his eyes to see the monster, six inches away from him, its head hanging backwards at a complete hundred and eighty degree angle. Takaki couldn’t tell whether or not he had killed it but he didn’t wait to find out, running from the room, not stopping until the cold night air filled his mouth.

He ran until the adrenaline had faded from his limbs and his lungs were tight for oxygen, dropping to his knees and struggling to breathe. He took the time to sit there, trying to reaffirm that he was still alive, he’d survived what had just happened, and aside from the cuts on his hands, had come out of it all unscathed. He nearly began to laugh, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now when he heard a noise cut the silence of the night.

A whine. The whine of a wounded animal, of a dog in pain, coming from somewhere that couldn’t be far away. Takaki got to his feet, his limbs weak and buzzing all at once from that had just happened, going in the direction of the sound. No one else was around to help so he wanted to, needing to find the dog and see what was wrong.

As he had thought, the dog wasn’t far, but it was hard to find all the same. Takaki had to dig through a patch of underbrush, following the whimpers and the whines, pushing away bush branches, the full moon the only light he could see by. Once he’d found the source of the noise though, the animal was so large he couldn’t help but wonder how it had taken so long for him to finally spot it.

There was a huge wolf collapsed under a hedge, resting in a pile of dead leaves. Takaki could see the animal breathing, a few whimpers coming between its teeth in exhales, but other than that the wolf wasn’t moving. Takaki approached cautiously, calling out hesitantly.

“Are you alright?”

A shift in the leaves indicated that he had been heard, the wolf’s tail thumping slowly against the ground. Takaki took that as a comforting sign--the creature didn’t want to bite him, at least--walking closer, holding in a gasp when he could see the wolf clearly.

Its fur was mostly light grey, darker around the face with a white underbelly. At least, that’s what Takaki assumed it looked like under the blood; there was a lot of it, dark and red and still flowing through the large gashes on the wolf’s side.

“What happened?” Takaki asked, not expecting any answer. The wolf’s tail thumped harder when Takaki reached down to stroke its head, his fingers coming back bloody. It whined again, and Takaki knew he had to help. Clicking his tongue, he tried to coax the wolf to its feet.

“Can you stand?”

He knew the answer before he asked, but still the wolf struggled for a moment, dead leaves stuck to its stomach and side, collapsing back to the ground.

“I’m going to pick you up then, okay?”

Takaki wasn’t sure he would be able to do it--the wolf was about the size of a small horse--but he had to try. There had to be some emergency animal hospital still open somewhere. He bent down, trying to get his arms under all of the thick fur, lifting the animal up. The wolf yelped as he moved it, but it didn’t try to snap at him so he continued, straightening up, about to turn when a small light through the underbrush caught his attention.

It took him a second of staring to realize that the light was an eye, reflecting orange in the moonlight, staring unblinkingly at him. A car sped down the street behind Takaki, dousing them all in its headlights, and in the flash Takaki was able to make out a large black dog standing there, one eye wide open, the other mauled closed by a large scar, starting at down at its muzzle and going all the way up the left side of its face. Its eye flashed in the headlights, and at the brightness it leapt back into shadow and out of sight. Uneasy fear dropped into the pit of Takaki's stomach, but if it was from the one-eyed dog’s stare or the hot and sticky wolf’s blood seeping into his clothes, he couldn't tell.

He stumbled, got his feet under him, and began walking towards the city buildings that were still open. It only took about five minutes to find a place, an ‘Emergency Vet’ sign in white font on a lit up red sign. Takaki hurried inside, beginning to feel concerned. The wolf’s breathing had become painfully shallow but he wasn’t bleeding anymore, and Takaki hoped that meant he wasn’t going to bleed out.

The receptionist’s eyes went wide when she saw them both, scared and full of questions, but instead of asking she ran to the back, returning with a woman in scrubs and a man in a doctor’s lab coat. They both stopped short of them, the woman giving the man a hesitant glance. Finally, the man spoke up. He sounded apologetic, but not nearly apologetic enough for the words that came out of his mouth.

“We… We don’t serve that kind here.”

_That kind_. It took Takaki a moment to realize what he meant, a blinding flash of fear running up his spine as he did. There was a full moon tonight, which meant the wolf in his arms was a werewolf. A werewolf, the creatures that ripped out and devoured human hearts, and he was holding it in his arms like a pet, like it was nothing more than some harmless, overgrown husky.

Part of him wanted to give up there, to dump the wolf back down in the underbrush and run as fast as he could the other way before the animal bit him, or killed him, or worse. But he looked down, and the wolf’s brown eyes were looking back up at him, tail giving a trusting wag, and Takaki knew he couldn’t do it. He didn't have it in him to just abandon the creature. He had to help.

When it became obvious that the veterinarian wasn’t going to be any help, Takaki hit the streets again. He had only one place in mind, one last hope. It wasn’t a hospital, but he hoped that when he got there, the residents would know what to do. At least, more than he did.

The sharehouse he’d seen earlier wasn’t that great a distance either, but the wolf’s weight had his entire body shaking with fatigue once Takaki had reached the building, glancing up at the signs above the door. ‘Open Twenty-Four Seven’. ‘All Kinds Welcome’. As promised, the door was unlocked, and he pushed his way inside.

The doorbell jingled as he entered, the front desk illuminated but empty. Takaki looked around for anyone, seeing a dark room open to his left. He stepped hesitantly into the open doorway.

“Hello?”

A blood-curdling shriek had him jumping out of his skin, shrill and loud enough to get his ears ringing. He nearly fell, his heart jumping from his chest and pounding against his adam’s apple, gripping the werewolf in his arms a little tighter and stumbling back into the door jamb. A light clicked on, a small table lamp illuminating the room in yellow.

There were two people there. Standing by the lamp, obviously having turned it on, was a man about Takaki's height. Everything about him looked normal, much to Takaki's relief, until he noticed the man's red eyes, vibrantly deep, staring at him in curiosity and concern.

The other figure was less than human. Or more than human, Takaki couldn't decide; he was huge. Easily seven feet high, the large antlers on his head were just centimeters from scraping the ceiling. He had a goat-like body and a long, thin tail, his eyes blown wide in alarm and his leathery black wings spread open. Takaki had the feeling the scream had come from this creature.

The red-eyed man was approaching him, horror on his face when he realized what Takaki was holding.

“Yabu, go and get Daiki; you probably just woke him up anyway. It's an emergency.”

The goat-thing nodded and exited the room, the movement bizarre to watch, tottering strangely as it balanced its tall form on two cloven hooves.

“I-I don't know what happened.” Takaki began quickly, the red-eyed man reaching out to stroke the wolf’s head. “I just found him, and he needs help…”

At the stranger's touch the wolf's eyes opened, its tail wagging weakly, and recognition passed the man's face.

“Oh god, it's Yamada.”

“You know him?” Takaki asked in surprise, the man beginning to clear things off the coffee table.

“He lives here. Put him down.”

Takaki was more than happy to oblige, his arms ready to give out; the wolf was lighter than he looked, most of his bulk fluff, but he was still heavy. Together they managed to get the wolf on the table--though it was more of an unceremonious drop than anything else--the man picking dried leaves out of its fur while Takaki simply tried to breathe, taking in the sheer amount of blood that had soaked into his clothes. His arms and chest were covered in red from his waist to his neck to his fingertips, and it had soaked down his jeans nearly to his knees.

Before he had any time to freak out about any of this, something he was feeling the desperate need to do, a group of people ran into the room, headed by a short man that looked very obviously like he'd just woken up.

“It's Yamada.” The red-eyed man reported, Takaki assuming the shorter one was the Daiki he had sent for. “He's conscious, but he's lost a lot of blood.”

The man simply nodded, bending to examine the werewolf, calling out things he needed. Feeling useless, in the way, and slightly numb, Takaki couldn't do much more than stand in a corner and watch. People brought gauze, medical needles and thread, a razor, ice, water, and towels, and Takaki realized in horror that they were about to give the wolf stitches right on the coffee table.

“S-shouldn't you take him to a hospital?” He stuttered out when he found his voice. He got a head shake from Daiki, the man pulling on rubber gloves as he spoke.

“No time.”

Not wanting to watch--and unsure that he could stomach it if he tried--Takaki instead turned his attention to the other people in the room. All of them, to his surprise, looked rather normal.

There was a long-haired man crouched by the wolf's head, holding his muzzle closed with one hand and keeping a grip on his front paws with the other, speaking softly to him. The tallest man in the room was on the other end of the table and holding down the wolf's back legs, the two effectively restraining him as Daiki went to his coat with the razor, shearing down hair to get a better look at the gashes. The tall man had antlers, Takaki thinking after a moment that he was probably Yabu, the goat from earlier. Most monsters had a human form and a full form, the humanoid one always most common to see and socially acceptable.

The red-eyed man was hovering behind Daiki, grabbing anything else he needed, and the last person in the room was next to Daiki, speaking lowly to him while he worked. He was the most normal looking one, Takaki felt, his dyed brown hair slightly too long to be called a bowl cut, with large eyes and full lips.

The werewolf’s low whines didn't cease the entire time they worked, occasionally struggling against his restraints, but Takaki tried to take that as a good sign, a sign that Yamada was alive and responsive. It felt like forever, but finally Daiki sat back on his heels and sighed, wiping his brow with the back of his gloved hand and smearing blood across his forehead.

“Hikaru, could you prepare his room please? I'm finished; now he just needs to rest.”

The red-eyed man nodded and turned quickly, Takaki able to hear footsteps as he climbed the stairs.

“Keito, Yabu, help me lift him. We need to take him to his room, but we have to be careful.”

Daiki got serious nods back from them both, and before long they too were gone, Takaki alone in the living room with the brown haired man.

“You don't have to keep standing there like that.” The man told him, gesturing to the couch to his left. Takaki sat mechanically, and the man eyed him sympathetically.

“You look like you need a drink.” He remarked.

“Yes, please.” Takaki responded with a nod, surprised by how hoarse his voice sounded. The man got to his feet and left the room as well, and Takaki found himself alone with lapful of blood. He hoped he wasn't staining the couch, but upon sitting down his exhaustion had hit him with full force, and he had full confidence that his legs wouldn’t hold him if he tried to stand up again.

The man returned with a drink in each hand, extending one out to Takaki. Takaki accepted it, taking a drink before he'd even really looked at the honey-colored liquid. Rum.

“I can get you something else, if you'd like.” The man offered, but Takaki shook his head.

“This is fine, thanks.”

After a nod, the man sat in the chair across from his seat on the couch, took a drink, and said,

“I'm Inoo Kei.”

“Takaki Yuya.” Takaki offered back.

“How did you find Yamada?”

“Well, I was…” The attack in his hotel room felt like it had happened days ago, not just an hour or two. He didn't much want to think about it, looking down at the hand he'd sliced up on the broken glass. He couldn't even see the cuts through the blood and dirt on his hands, but thankfully he couldn't really feel them either. _I need a shower,_ he found himself thinking. “I was out, and I heard him. He sounded like he was in pain, and I wanted to help. I went to a Veterinarian first, because I didn't know he was a werewolf, but…”

The look on Inoo's face suggested he knew exactly how the exchange had gone, so Takaki didn't elaborate.

“I'd seen this place earlier today, and I thought that maybe someone in here could help.”

“Well, it's a good thing you came.” Inoo said, sitting back in his chair with a sigh. “Yamada's lucky he's still alive, and it's thanks to you.”

“Really?” Takaki didn't know he'd been so close to death. Inoo nodded, raising an eyebrow.

“You, of all people, should know how much blood he lost.” He said, looking Takaki up and down. Takaki realized he had a point.

“Then shouldn't we take him to a hospital?” He asked. Sure, they'd done the stitches here, but if a blood transfusion was necessary…

“We've got everything we need right here.” Inoo said, waving a hand dismissively as though that explained everything. “Daiki's been running this place for… I don't know how long, actually, but he's extremely prepared. That and he's a miracle worker. I don't expect Yamada to be out for more than a couple weeks.”

He spoke like this happened often--or at least, that it was common enough of an occurrence not to be too worried--but Takaki couldn't tell if that's how it actually was, or if it was just Inoo's tone. The sun began to rise outside the window, the dull blue mixing with the light of the lamp on the table, and Takaki found himself wondering what time it was. Before he could ask, the other occupants of the sharehouse started down the stairs. Daiki approached him first.

“My name is Arioka Daiki, and I'm sort of the landlord around here. I have a room of my own upstairs.”

Takaki made to get up, but Daiki held up a hand, showing that wasn't necessary. Giving him a grateful smile, Takaki introduced himself, first to Daiki, then to the rest of the house. He found out that the man with the antlers was Yabu Kota, the red-eyed man was Yaotome Hikaru, and the man with the long hair was Okamoto Keito. They all lived in the sharehouse, along with Inoo Kei and Yamada Ryosuke.

“You look exhausted, so I'm not going to ask you to tell me what happened until you've slept.” Daiki said. “A vacant room opened up recently; would you like to stay here for the night?”

Takaki began to nod--there was no way he was going back to his old hotel room, not after what happened, not ever--but when he patted his pockets he realized he would have to. He'd left both his wallet and his phone on his bedside table.

“I don't have any money.” He said apologetically, but Daiki quickly dismissed him.

“Saving Yamada's life is payment enough.” He said. “Do you need a change of clothes?”

“If you have one you could give me.” The adrenaline and fear he'd had was initially enough to keep the coppery smell of blood from his mind, but now that all danger had passed it was first and forefront, clogging his nostrils, clogging his brain. The only thing he wanted more than sleep was a shower. “I… My place got burned down, I don’t… I don’t have…”

“We have clothes you can wear.” Daiki gave him a smile. “Don’t worry about it for now; you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to.”

Takaki gave a smile back, finally pushing himself to his feet. He was about to ask where a bathroom was when the front door chimed, someone walking in. Takaki turned his back, not wanting a potential customer to see this much blood upon walking in, but the degree of familiarity with which Daiki next spoke had Takaki feeling he'd made the wrong assumption.

“Oh good, Chinen; you're home. Someone new is staying with us for a while. This is Takaki Yuya. Takaki, Chinen Yuri.”

Given the introduction Takaki felt he had to turn around, bowing in greeting. Chinen was a good deal shorter than him, looking lean and agile with a simple black haircut. He looked hesitantly over the blood on Takaki's clothes before bowing back.

“I… I'm not hurt.” Takaki said quickly.

“Yeah, that's all Yamada's.” Inoo supplied.

“Yamada?” Chinen asked, his tone going very worried very quickly.

“He'll be okay.” Daiki said. “He got attacked by… Something. We can't ask him what happened until he wakes up.”

Chinen nodded, but he didn't look much less concerned. A hand was suddenly on Takaki's shoulder, turning to see Yabu standing there.

“I'll show you to a bathroom, if you'd like.” He said. “And the bedroom you can use.”

Nodding gratefully, Takaki followed Yabu up the stairs. The antlers had Yabu ducking to make it through every doorway, the action so second hand that Takaki felt he would have found it amusing if he didn’t feel so dead on his feet. Yabu pointed out his bedroom as they passed it, and when they got to the bathroom, he stopped.

“Sorry for scaring you like that.” He said, Takaki's suspicions of him being the goat-man confirmed. “I was almost asleep, and your voice startled me. I shouldn't have screamed.”

“No, I mean… it's okay.” Takaki wasn't sure what to say, but thankfully he didn't need more than that, Yabu smiling and bidding him a goodnight.

The shower that followed felt like one of the best Takaki had ever had, though the amount of blood he ended up washing off his arms and stomach made him feel uncomfortable, as though he was escaping a crime scene, or had done something wrong. He found some bandages in a cupboard above the sink, using them to wrap up his hand, then putting on the sweatpants and t-shirt that were folded up on his bed when he got there. He was worried as he got in bed that he might not be able to sleep, that his brain would try to give him nightmares, but he was too exhausted, and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

Mercifully, Takaki slept in rather late. It was past noon before he was awake enough to consider getting out of bed, but as soon as he tried to sit up all of his muscles screamed in protest. His legs and arms were excruciatingly sore from carrying Yamada around town, his shoulders tired from tensing, and his whole core hurt, reminding him painfully of the morning after he'd caught a bad bout of food poisoning and had vomited for a solid five hours. But he rolled out of bed, knowing movement would help alleviate the pain. He had things he needed to do. The main thing on his mind was going back to find his wallet; he’d gone from having one outfit to none, new clothes first and foremost in his line of purchases.

His legs protested every step as he made his way downstairs. He heard voices and followed the sound, making his way through the living room and through the side door he'd seen Inoo disappear behind the night before. It was a kitchen. The wood floors were switched out for grey tile, with cabinets, appliances, and a table full of chairs. The rest of the house was at the table and surrounding a plate of sandwiches, eating, some of them dressed for the day and others still in their pajamas. There was an unsupervised pot on the stove and Takaki stood there, unsure if he was allowed to just help himself. He _was_ hungry.

As if reading his thoughts, Daiki called out over the conversation.

“Feel free to eat whatever you'd like.”

Takaki turned to thank him, Keito saying “Not that pot on the stove though; I'm boiling some meat for Yamada.”

“Uh…”

Takaki knew he shouldn't stare, but it was impossible not to. Keito had on a proper set of pajamas in red and dark blue, but the top was completely unbuttoned, and across the width of his stomach was a giant mouth. The teeth were huge, triangular, and sharp, fitting together like puzzle pieces. He held a one of his pieces of toast down from his plate and the mouth devoured it, a thick triangular tongue extending just far enough to clean up any crumbs. When it closed it blended seamlessly into his skin, before opening up into a giant maw again.

“Don't let him bite you with that thing.” Came an amused voice from behind him, and it effectively diverted Takaki's attention, turning to see Inoo walk into the kitchen. A moment later he was nudged gently by Inoo's elbow, and while a few of the other housemates had laughed at the quip, Takaki had the feeling it had been said to make him stop staring. Keito looked slightly uncomfortable, moving a half of his open shirt as though to cover his chest, the action made pointless as he got to his feet. Takaki instantly wanted to apologize, but couldn’t think of anything to say--sorry for staring at the bizarre set of chops on your stomach?--without making it worse. Keito went over to the pot, removing what looked like bland chicken breast and putting it into a bowl before needlessly saying,

“I'm taking this to Yamada.”

Wanting desperately to change the subject from the slight awkwardness that now hung in the air, Takaki turned to Daiki.

“How is he, anyway?”

“Yamada?” Daiki asked back. Takaki nodded. “He'll be fine. I stayed up with him for most of the night, and his condition never dipped into anything life-threatening. It shouldn't be more than a few days before he's strong enough to revert back into his human form.”

Inoo pushed a plate into Takaki's hands and pointed to the table and to the platter of sandwiches, a few of them still uneaten. Takaki took the silent suggestion, sitting down next to Chinen in Keito's vacated seat and helping himself.

“And when he does we'll be able to ask him what happened.” Hikaru said grimly.

“Takaki, did you see anyone or anything last night? When you found Yamada?”

Takaki was about to shake his head when he remembered--the black dog. For a reason he couldn't explain, Takaki didn't want to tell the rest of them about the haunting figure. Besides, he reasoned; Yamada had been covered in blood. The dog would've had some, are least around its mouth, if it had been the attacker.

“No.” He finally said. He could feel Chinen’s eyes on him, but he didn't look back, afraid the other man thought he was lying. Daiki shrugged.

“I figured as much, but there was no harm in asking. The attacker had to have been huge, anyway; the gashes in his side remind me of claw marks, because they're so long and parallel, but they're so far apart that the hand alone would be bigger than my face.”

“We can't rule out humans.” Inoo added nonchalantly. Though he didn't think Inoo was insinuating him, Takaki suddenly felt uncomfortable. “They have all sorts of weapons, and full moons bring out prejudices just as much as werewolves.”

Grim nods went around the table, Daiki getting to his feet with a sigh and declaring that he was going to go check on Yamada. His departure more or less signaled the end of lunch as a group meal, most of the others getting up soon after and going off in separate directions. Before long Takaki found himself sitting next to Chinen in an otherwise empty kitchen. Takaki quickly tried to think of something to say, but Chinen beat him to it.

"He's a mapinguari, in case you were wondering."

"...what?" Takaki couldn't help but ask.

"Keito. He's a mapinguari. The vicious one-eyed creature with a mouth on its stomach." Chinen's completely laid-back demeanor juxtaposed the words coming from his mouth so much that if Takaki hadn't now been about seven times more afraid of Keito than before, he would have laughed. "The only part of him that's visible in his human form is his second mouth, though. And maybe his hair; he has to cut it every morning to keep it a manageable length, but it's still nothing compared to the amount he has in his full form."

“Oh.” Was all Takaki could think to say. He had been curious about that--though such a mild word felt like an understatement--but he didn't know how rude it would be to ask why Keito had more than one mouth.

“He can eat with both, but he prefers to use the bigger one; apparently he gets full faster that way. And try not to feel too bad; we all stared the first time we saw him too.”

Takaki nodded again, hoping he didn't look as pale as he felt. He had a feeling that he was; Chinen's expression held a touch of amusement. At the same time though, Takaki had so many questions, deciding to try his luck.

“Could you… Could you tell me about Yabu?”

Chinen gave a small laugh. “I’m guessing you’ve seen him then? His full form?”

Takaki nodded. “He screamed at me.”

That had Chinen laughing properly, taking a moment before he spoke.

“He’s a Jersey Devil.” Chinen said. “He’s relatively harmless though. Screaming is about the most he can do. I mean, he can fly, but he doesn’t do it too often.”

“Are you saying that the others… Aren’t harmless?” Takaki asked hesitantly. Chinen nodded again.

“Well, you saw that Yamada’s a werewolf, and they eat human hearts, don’t they? Hikaru’s a manananggal--they drink blood--and Inoo’s part aswang, part witch.”

Takaki didn’t know what that meant, and it must have shown on his face, because he explained.

“He can do magic and shapeshift, so we’ve never been sure of what he actually looks like. And aswangs eat cadavers, but since Inoo is only half, I don’t think he does that. Or doesn't have to, at least. I've never seen it.”

Takaki swallowed. Chinen waved a hand.

“None of them are going to hurt you.” He said. “Yamada can survive on animal hearts as long as they’re fresh, and Hikaru only feeds once a month. Keito and Inoo eat normally. You saved Yamada's life; nobody would dare.”

If that was supposed to be comforting, it really, really wasn't.

“So…” Takaki finally said, looking at Chinen for a moment. “What about you?”

Chinen looked normal--looked _human_\--but Takaki realized he'd thought the same for Inoo, and Inoo was a shapeshifting, spell-casting monster instead. Chinen tilted his head slightly, giving him a look.

“I thought you would know.” He said.

“Human?”

Chinen simply downed the rest of his water, placing his cup in the sink and exiting the room.

Thankfully, Inoo allowed Takaki to borrow a spare set of clothes, so he was able to go out into town in a proper outfit. Inoo’s pants were a little short on him but he didn’t complain; it was better than walking around in the pajamas he'd slept in. He went straight to the hotel where he had tried to spend the night, his wallet and cell phone waiting for him at the front desk. The staff were quite annoyed with him for not properly checking out, and after handing over payment for both the night of his stay and the inconvenience fee that he was fairly sure had been made up on the spot--though he didn't feel like arguing--Takaki left the hotel behind him, stepping out onto the sidewalk. He took one step out onto the pavement and froze, his hands halfway to his pockets, a queasy fear hitting his stomach.

The black dog was staring at him from across the street. It was at a distance, sure, but Takaki could see it curiously clearly, and he knew this dog was the one from the night before. It had the same scar, the long one across its muzzle and face, its single, orange eye boring into into Takaki’s own, as though seeing through and straight into his mind. And again, the sight of the creature unsettled him, the added degree of familiarity not helping. He both recognized the dog and knew nothing about it, doing nothing to alleviate the heavy dread that was settling itself in his stomach. Takaki turned away quickly. He needed to buy clothes.

After cashing out on a week’s worth of outfits, Takaki returned home. He kept a lookout for the dog while he went, but by the time he’d returned to the sharehouse, he didn’t see it again. It was relieving, and for a moment he stood there, feeling slightly silly. It was just a dog, and it hadn’t done anything to him; he had no reason to be acting the way he was. The animal just made him nervous, easily foreboding and scary without cause.

Everyone else was sitting around the table when he came home, in the kitchen with dinner under way, an empty chair, plate, and cup waiting for him next to Hikaru. He greeted everyone and took his seat, apologizing for interrupting conversation. Daiki waved it off, just as Inoo spoke up.

“Something’s bothering you. What is it?”

Takaki wondered if Inoo’s powers enabled him to read minds.

“It’s nothing really, I just…”

“You don’t have to tell us.” Daiki said, and Takaki knew the statement was an attempt at being considerate, but all it really did was make him feel embarrassed about the whole thing; now everyone was staring at him. He helped himself to some dinner, garnering the resolve to speak.

“I just saw… It’s nothing. I saw a dog while I was out.”

“A dog?” Hikaru echoed, obviously confused.

“Yeah, this black dog I saw yesterday. It was nearby when when I found Yamada. It’s just weird that I saw it again, I guess.”

Nobody seemed majorly concerned, except for Inoo, who was looking at him strangely.

“What?” Takaki finally asked him.

“What does the dog look like?”

“I haven’t gotten a good look at it.” That was a bit of a lie, but as before, something about the animal all made Takaki unwilling to tell the entire truth. “It’s just a black dog--it’s pretty big--with an orange eye, and… It just stands and stares at me.”

“The Grim.” Inoo said, his voice uncharacteristically grave and holding the dread of finality.

“What?” Daiki asked sharply. Inoo frowned a little, and digging around his plate.

“A large black dog, and if it’s not moving… It sounds like the Grim to me.”

Takaki just looked at him blankly, and he must not have been the only one, Inoo looking incredulously around the table.

“Really? Nobody? The Grim. The Barguest. The omen of death.”

Takaki swallowed, and Hikaru gave a little laugh. The sound had no humor in it, instead breaking the silence, and the tension within it.

“Don’t say things like that while we’re eating.” He complained, though when Takaki looked over at him he realized for the first time that there wasn’t any food on Hikaru’s plate. He hadn’t seen Hikaru eat any breakfast, either. “It’s probably just a dog, like Takaki said.”

Takaki would much rather that be true, but ‘omen’ better explained the feelings the dog gave him.

“Is anyone else seeing this dog?” Inoo asked. “Because if so, it’s not the Grim. Death omens are only seen by the person that’s going to die.”

“I didn’t think to ask.” Was all Takaki could say. He hadn’t flagged down people in the street and pointed. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll keep a lookout for it.” Hikaru said, sighing and stretching out his arms. “If I catch sight of it, I’ll let you know.”

He talked like he was leaving, placing his palms down on the tabletop. He began to move, and Takaki expected him to be pushing himself to his feet, but as his upper body lifted, Hikaru’s lower half stayed in his seat.

“Watch your face.”

Takaki barely had time to realize the warning was directed at him before large wings unfurled from Hikaru’s shoulder blades, fitting easily through the widely cut arm holes of his tanktop. Takaki was grateful for how long the shirt was, because he didn’t want to see what the underside of Hikaru’s now-severed torso looked like. He didn’t look over at Hikaru’s lower half either, which sitting next to him as still as a corpse; he was afraid that if he did he would lose his dinner.

Hikaru bid them all farewell and flew from the room, the bell jingling as the door opened--jingling slightly more aggressively with dull thud and a low curse from Hikaru--then closing. A few of them laughed.

“Don’t worry.” Yabu said, Takaki not noticing the words were directed at him until Inoo touched his arm and made him jump. The Jersey Devil was looking at him across the table. “Hikaru looks scary, but he hasn’t even been able to leave without hitting his head on the doorbell yet.”

Takaki wanted to laugh, wanted to wave it off as quirky and show that it was all fine, but he wasn’t able to muster up more than an uncomfortable smile. Between the stomach mouth, the black dog, and Hikaru halving himself, Takaki was more than ready for today to end. It would be good for him to get some sleep.

Sleep didn’t come. He just lay in bed, feeling increasingly uneasy the longer he stared at his ceiling. As kind and welcoming as his new housemates had been, Takaki wasn’t sure how long he wanted to live here. Maybe it was just him, or maybe it was actually the place, he couldn’t tell, but every silence felt like baited breath, a constant prickle at the back of his neck giving Takaki a wild moment of fear that he was being watched. He didn’t want to feel this way, because it made him feel bad, feel as though he was indulging in prejudices against people that had nothing but kind to him. At the same time though, he wanted to live somewhere that didn’t make him so anxious.

A shadow darted down the hall, dark and thick and heavy and Takaki froze. It moved so fast that he could have blinked and missed it, but he could hear something, like a thousand deep voices murmuring at once, and he knew his mind wasn’t simply playing a trick on him. This was it; the demonic blackness that had scared him so badly that he didn’t like to allow himself to think about it. He didn’t know how, or why, but he didn’t have time to think rationally. If that monster was somehow here, he needed to hide. He needed to leave.

As quietly as he could, Takaki crept from his bed. He made it all the way to the staircase before he realized that he was again leaving his phone and wallet behind. If he was leaving, he didn’t want to come back, cursing his own stupidity as he walked quietly back to his room.  
The muttering grew louder as he passed the closed door next to his own, and in spite of himself, he stopped. It sounded like the monster was in there, but that was Yamada’s room. The werewolf was in there, resting and recovering, and he couldn’t defend himself. As terrified as he was, Takaki couldn’t bring himself to just standby. He’d already saved the werewolf from this thing once. Slowly, he pushed the door open.  
Chinen’s head whipped around in surprise, so sharply it looked almost unnatural. The sight of him had Takaki jumping in surprise, his breath catching, but he knew Chinen--Chinen was familiar--and Takaki felt himself relaxing.

“Are you okay?” Chinen finally asked. He looked concerned, and Takaki realized how strange he must be acting.

“I thought… I thought I heard…” The muttering was gone. The room was empty, aside from Chinen, Yamada, and himself. No sign of anything out of the ordinary.

“I heard Yamada growling in his sleep, so I came up to check on him.” Chinen said. “Is that what you heard?”

“I…” Takaki fully stepped into the room, looking down at Yamada’s wolf form. He hadn’t seen Yamada since the night he’d brought him in, but the werewolf already looked much better. His bandages looked freshly changed, cleaned of blood, his shaved patches already starting to grow back and looking scruffy. He looked incredibly harmless in sleep.

“Takaki?” Chinen looked at him questioningly, and Takaki felt stupid. Paranoid. To think the monster had found him, had come back for him, had made it all the way up to the second story of the house without anyone else having seen it… Dumb. Takaki been convinced he’d seen a shadow--and maybe he had, maybe someone had passed down the hallway--but the sound had probably been nothing more than the growling that Chinen had mentioned.

“I should go back to bed.” He muttered, able to feel Chinen watching him, still confused, as he left the room.

“Well, you’re probably dying.”

“...sorry?” Takaki asked. He’d just come downstairs, fresh out of bed, the majority of his new housemates already up and at the table. Hikaru was the one that spoke, sitting comfortably and drinking something out of a large styrofoam cup. At first, Takaki thought the straw in Hikaru’s mouth was red, but when Hikaru pulled back from his drink to speak again the color disappeared, the straw obviously clear instead; when Hikaru spoke, his teeth and tongue were stained a deep red. Takaki swallowed down the queasy sensation that had just risen in his stomach.

“I looked out for that black dog you talked about, but I never saw it last night. So… It’s probably an omen, like Inoo said.”

“The Grim.” Inoo supplied helpfully.

“Oh.” Was all Takaki could think to say, walking over to the fridge. Upon opening it, he was met with at least ten other styrofoam cups identical to the one in Hikaru’s hands, as well as a faint coppery smell. He closed the fridge back up, no longer hungry at all.

“So that’s it?” Yabu asked. “Takaki will just die?”

“At some point, yeah.” Inoo said with a sigh. “The Grim appears before a person that’s going to die, but there’s not really a time limit. One woman reported being followed by the omen for twelve years before she finally tripped and fell in front of a train.”

That made Takaki wonder, just for a moment, if she’d really tripped. He’d only seen the dog twice, and it had already set him on edge; seeing the Grim for twelve years was something he didn’t think he could stand. Despite this though, he didn’t feel like he was dying. Despite his misgivings, he couldn’t find it in himself to wholeheartedly believe that he being followed by an omen, so it didn’t completely feel real. For that he was grateful.

A loud sucking sound broke the silence, Hikaru giving them all a sheepish grin before standing to throw his now-empty cup away--Takaki was glad to see his legs were now reattached to the rest of him--the manananggal having barely turned back from the trash can before there was a pounding down the stairs, Keito skidding into the kitchen and nearly falling on his face, breathless but smiling.

“Yamada is awake.”

That had everyone else stampeding up the stairs. Takaki stepped back and allowed them all to pass him by to enter Yamada’s bedroom, feeling slightly out of place. He was glad, of course, that the werewolf was recovering, but he didn’t know Yamada like the rest of them did.  
Everyone had already crowded around him, the bed barely visible. Daiki had a chair pulled up, sitting by Yamada’s head, clean bandages and gauze on the bedside table and a pile of bloody bandages in his lap. He must have just had everything changed.

“Is that him?” Came a quieter, unfamiliar voice, and Yabu stepped aside, Takaki able to see the person lying in the bed. Yamada was nothing like he expected.

He was smaller in human form than wolf form, looking much cuter and infinitely less threatening. He was scratched up and covered in bruises, but he had a young, kind face, giving Takaki a smile.

“Thank you.” Yamada told him. “I could feel how scared you were, but you saved me anyway, and brought me home, so… Thank you so much.”

“I...Yeah.” Takaki had no idea what to say, feeling flustered. “I mean of course, I guess.”

Inoo snorted out a little laugh, and Takaki threw him a look. The pressure was lifted from him, thankfully, when Chinen spoke up.

“Yamada, do you remember what attacked you?”

Yamada was silent for a moment, looking down at his hands.

“I attacked it, actually.”

“You attacked something, and it did this to you?” Hikaru asked incredulously. Yamada winced.

“Things are different, in wolf form. They feel different, and I could sense something behind me. I didn’t know what it was, but… It was evil. It _smelled_ like evil, and though I didn’t know what it was it had my hackles standing up. I turned, and I growled and snapped at it because I wanted it to get away, but nothing was there, just darkness.”

Takaki swallowed. This sounded familiar, and it made him nervous.

“And then it slashed at me, sliced my side.” Yamada gestured to the bandages going all the way up his torso, the injuries that had bled so much they’d completely drenched Takaki’s clothes. “The entire time I couldn’t see it, it was too dark. It wasn’t much of a fight; it was all and claws and teeth and I couldn’t fight back. I thought I was going to die.”

Everyone had fallen silent, some of them turning to Inoo, the witch letting out a low breath.

“I don’t even know what that could be.” He confessed, and Yamada gave a one-shouldered shrug.

“I just never want to see it again.”

“That thing… It attacked me too.”

Takaki nearly regretted speaking, the entire room turning to face him, all of them looking stunned.

“What?”

“That thing, the dark thing with the teeth and the claws.” he said. “I was staying in a hotel, and it came into my room and attacked me. It was like you said; it was like a shadow. I hit it with a lamp, and I think I chopped its head off.”

“You killed it?” Yamada asked, an edge of relief already in his voice. Takaki shrugged.

“I don’t know.” He confessed. “I didn’t wait around to find out, but it didn’t come after me. I ran outside, and that’s when I found you.”

“Maybe that’s how you’re going to die.” Yabu told him. He said it lightheartedly, as though he were trying to make a joke, but Takaki couldn’t really find it in himself to laugh.

“He’s going to die?” Yamada asked, frowning.

“He saw the Grim.” Inoo explained. “Huge black dog? You know.”

“I saw it too.” Yamada said. “Right before that evil thing came, there was this black dog, bigger than me, just standing behind some bushes.”

“Did it only have one eye?” Takaki asked quickly. If more than one person saw it, maybe it wasn’t an omen after all. Yamada however, simply shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

“Wait.” Keito frowned. “If this dog was there before, then after the attack, wouldn’t it have seen what attacked you two? If we could find it, and ask it--”

“It’s an omen!” Inoo exclaimed, sounding slightly exasperated. “It’s just an omen. It’s not a physical being, you can’t just… Talk to it. You can’t interact with it.”

Takaki just hoped that whatever that creature was, he’d killed it in his hotel room.

Yamada’s began healing quickly. He was still bedridden and sleeping a lot of the time, but he was eating proper meals and seemed much more alert. As a result of him moving more, he began going through a large amount of bandages, Daiki asking a few days later at dinner if someone was willing to go out tomorrow morning to buy some more for the house. Takaki offered, Chinen offering to go with him.

The air had gotten much colder, October beginning to come to a close. Takaki didn’t have a coat--he’d completely forgotten to buy one--but he tried not to complain, pretending he was fine. Chinen saw through him quickly, looking at him in amusement before offering up his scarf. Takaki took it gratefully.

Takaki didn’t know where he was going, following Chinen’s direction as the walked through the streets. For someone with such short legs that slept in so often, Takaki was surprised by how quickly Chinen’s feet were moving, actually having to work slightly to keep up. As a result, he turned a corner a little too quickly and nearly ran into a man, cartwheeling his arms to lean away. The man steadied his shoulders for him and gave him a little half-smile, and it wasn’t until he was gone that Takaki realized that the smile was only in half because the man’s face was, the left half of his mouth pink, scarred, and useless all the way up to the base of his ear. Other than that the man was relatively indistinct, tall with dark hair and a strong nose.

Once Takaki had noticed him though, it seemed to see the man everywhere as they went throughout the town with Daiki’s shopping list. At first he supposed they were going to the same places, a nothing more than silly coincidence, but when Takaki tried to acknowledge it, tried to catch the man’s eye and wave, the man glanced away quickly and hid behind the corner of a building, and Takaki began feeling that maybe he should be concerned.

“Hey, Chinen…” He said hesitantly. Chinen glanced up at him.

“Yeah?”

“I think we’re being followed.”

“Oh?” To Takaki’s surprise, Chinen only sounded mildly concerned. “By who?”

“I… I don’t know. That guy I almost ran into earlier; I just noticed that he’s been following us around.”

“Okay.” Chinen shrugged a little bit. “We aren’t doing anything wrong, so don’t worry about it.”

“I could go and talk to him, tell him to stop.” The scarred stranger was taller than Takaki was, but something about how small Chinen was made Takaki want to at least try looking after him. But Chinen shook his head.

“Let’s see if he follows us out of town.” Chinen said. “If he does, we’ll tell Daiki to lock up tonight, instead of staying open all night like usual. It probably would be a bad idea to cause a scene.”

Takaki wasn’t sure he understood, but he’d never had to worry about causing a scene in public; not as a human. Chinen had lived with monsters, and Takaki didn’t guess that if a bloodsucking manananggal like Hikaru somehow found himself in trouble, not many onlookers would rush to his aid.

The man kept his distance, but by the time they’d returned home he was still on their tail. He didn’t try to come inside though, Takaki and Chinen telling Daiki about the man over dinner. Daiki frowned.

“Good idea Chinen, we’ll lock up tonight. Any idea why someone would be following you?”

Chinen just shook his head, and Takaki shrugged.

“I mean, I nearly ran into him, but…”

“Maybe he’s going to curse you.” Inoo suggested with a grin. “He wanted the location of your bed so he could fill it with slugs.”

Takaki shivered, a few of their tablemates laughing.

“Come on now, I doubt he’s like you Inoo.” Hikaru said, his straw loud as he sipped up the last few remnants of his drink.

“You can put slugs in people’s beds?” Keito asked hesitantly.

“I can put slugs in your ears.” Inoo retorted confidently. Takaki found himself scooting a bit away from Inoo at the table, to more laughter. “Don’t worry; I’ll only do it if you annoy me.”

“But you called me annoying yesterday!” Yabu protested. He genuinely looked concerned, much to the amusement of everyone else.

Despite the lighthearted dinner, the stranger put Takaki into a shallow, uneasy sleep that night. He kept waking, thinking he heard something, or saw shadows dancing across the walls, but every single time it was just a nightmare, aided by the uneven moonlight filtering through the curtains on his window. At three in the morning he was beginning to get frustrated by it, the apprehension having worn away completely to exhaustion. He forced himself up and out of bed, walking to his window to block out the moon, when he saw something--someone--out in front of the sharehouse.

A few more moments of squinting sent a jolt of fear through Takaki’s stomach. It was the same man, the scar-faced man that had followed them home, pacing in front of the building. He looked nervous, almost scared, and as Takaki watched the man stopped, shaking his head. Then he transformed, growing as dark as the shadows surrounding him, four-legged, into the animalistic form that had been haunting Takaki’s nightmares. The man turned into a black dog, the same black dog with the scar on his muzzle that matched the scar he had on his face. Takaki’s first thought was perhaps he was a werewolf, but a quick glance at the moon told him that while bright, it wasn’t full. When he looked back down to the front yard, the dog had gone.

That dog was the Grim Takaki had seen, undoubtedly. But could an omen be an omen and a person all at once? A person Chinen had seen, no less. He felt too startled and tired to think straight, but getting back in bed did nothing to help. He fell into a few more bouts of fitful rest before giving up, getting dressed as the sun rose. He needed to talk to the stranger. This man was the dog Takaki had been seeing everywhere, which meant that he’d been followed around now for much longer than he’d previously thought. And if Keito had the right idea, this man might have seen Yamada’s attacker as well.

Daybreak felt near freezing but Takaki did his best to ignore it, scouring the streets. Not many people were out this time of day, and after about an hour of ducking his head into various shops, Takaki stopped into the Raiju Coffee Cafe--enough caffeine to zap you awake, guaranteed!--freezing as soon as his coffee cup reached his hand.

The tall man was there, looking up from the coffee cup in his hands and meeting his eyes across the cafe. He seemed to understand what Takaki was there for, gesturing to the empty chair across from his own seat. Takaki hurried over.

“Who are you?” He asked, without introduction. “Why are you following me?”

The man looked at him for a moment. His expression was rather blank. He took another drink, then said,

“The werewolf. Is he alive?”

“Yeah, he’s fine.” Takaki answered without thinking. He cursed internally a second later, biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt to mask his frustration. He probably shouldn’t have answered, he thought; he didn’t know this man, or his motive. He could be dangerous.

However, the man’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he closed his eyes for a moment. He looked relieved. Takaki frowned.

“Why, do you know him?”

“No, I don’t. But I saw what happened to him, and I was worried. I'm glad that he's okay.”

“Is that why you were following me around?”

He nodded, and Takaki fully realized what he said.

“Wait, you saw what happened? Did you see what attacked him?”

After another moment, the man nodded again, and Takaki felt himself sit up straighter, an anxious energy in his chest.

“What was it?”

“It’s why I was tailing you yesterday. I was afraid it would attack again, and after the nice thing you did, I didn’t want to see it get you too. I’m glad the werewolf is alive. I honestly didn’t think he would be after… That.”

“The monster was out there yesterday?” Takaki asked, disbelieving. “In public?” How had he missed it? How had no one else seen the demonic shadow? Surely someone would have said something.

Understanding passed the stranger’s face, and he swallowed.

“You don’t know.”

“What are you talking about?”

The man now seemed hesitant to answer, his eyes angled down at the coffee cup in his hands. He was silent for a long moment, Takaki about to prompt him when he finally spoke.

“The monster that attacked the werewolf… It was him. The person you were walking with yesterday.”

Takaki stared at him, dumbstruck, the words reverberating in his mind. This had to be a joke.

“...Chinen?” He finally said. “No. You’re mistaken; you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“How well do you know the man that was with you?”

Takaki floundered for a moment. In truth, he didn’t know Chinen that well. Chinen was quiet, preferring often to observe rather than speak, spending a lot of time either out of the house or in his room. But Takaki did usually enjoy the fleeting conversations he had with him, finding him endearing and quick-witted. He shook his head.

“Chinen wouldn’t… Chinen’s not… He’s _normal_.” He said. “He’s not that… Thing.”

“You’ve seen it?” The stranger raised his eyebrows. “When?”

“It attacked me before I found Yamada. But that’s not…” That was beside the point. “It can't be him. You've got the wrong person.”

“I saw him that night.” The man wasn't speaking loudly, but there was a forceful conviction in his voice. “I had transformed, and I saw him walking down the street. For someone to be out so late was already unusual, but there was something wrong with him. It was like he was tired, or drunk; he was struggling to keep himself upright, and it was like he kept… Glitching.”

“Glitching?”

“I don't know how else to describe it. There was a blackness surrounding him. Then the werewolf turned on him, and suddenly the short man was gone, and that monster was in his place. It was obvious that the werewolf couldn't see him but I could, so I tried to chase him off once it was obvious the wolf had enough. It…” The man reached down, subconsciously tugging at the sleeve of his dark peacoat, as though to further cover his hand. “It worked well enough, I guess.”

Takaki leaned back slowly. Maybe. Maybe Chinen could transform, or mask himself fully in human skin. He couldn't say it was impossible. But at the same time, Chinen's concern for Yamada was genuine. He knew that. He didn't want to accuse his Chinen of something so vicious on the testimony of a stranger, witnessed in the dark and through only one eye. He got to his feet.

“You have to be sure, to say something like that. Come to the house and get a better look. If Chinen is the man you know you saw, then maybe I'll believe you.”

“I'm not getting anywhere near that thing.”

“I'm not going to let you accuse him like this.”

The man pursed his lips, and for a moment Takaki thought he was going to be angry. Then he pushed himself to his feet.

“Fine, but I’m going as a dog. I'll be less vulnerable.” He finished the last if his coffee, lowering the cup to look Takaki in the eye. “My name is Nakajima Yuto.”

“Takaki Yuya.” Takaki responded, and they began walking.


	3. Chapter 3

A cup fell from Inoo's hands in a shatter of broken glass as Takaki entered the house with the black dog at his heels. His eyes were wide and he began murmuring under his breath, the foreign syllables and the minor hand gestures reminding Takaki that Inoo was part witch, and he stepped quickly in front of Yuto.

“Don't… Don't curse him, or whatever. He's with me.”

“You brought death into this house.” Inoo hissed, his voice angry with fear. “What, were you feeling left out because you were the only one dying?”

“He's not the Grim.” Takaki said quickly. “He’s who's been following me.”

Inoo's eyes widened a bit as if to say _that doesn't prove anything,_ and Takaki turned to Yuto sheepishly.

“You… You aren't the Grim, right?” He hadn't thought to ask. Yuto just stared back, his single orange eye unblinking.

“Who else is home?” Takaki then asked Inoo, who gave him a proper answer.

“Just me, and Yamada is upstairs. But Chinen should be getting home… Well, any minute now. Takaki, what is going on? What's this about?”

Yuto took a seat in the middle of the kitchen floor, his eye fixed warily on the door, and Takaki answered Inoo in a hushed voice.

“The Grim I've been seeing and the man that followed us yesterday are the same person. Same guy. He said he knows who attacked Yamada. He saw it happen.”

“Wait… What do you mean by _who_?” Inoo's voice was equally quiet, with a touch of apprehension and curiosity. But then the front door chimed and Yuto instantly began to growl, both of them turning to see Chinen standing just inside the doorway, his petrified expression when met with the sight of the dog having Takaki rushing forwards at once.

“Outside.” Was all he had time to say to Yuto, Chinen jumping out of the way as he headed out the front door with Yuto, Inoo rushing after them. Takaki turned to close the door behind them all, and by the time he turned back Yuto had already transformed. Inoo was staring at him, aghast.

“That's him.” Yuto's voice still attained some of his growl, the scar on his face twisting his lips into even more of a snarl. “It's him.”

Takaki heard a sharp inhale to his left as Inoo put the pieces together.

“But… Are you sure?” Takaki didn't want to believe it. “It was dark, and you do only have one eye.”

He expected some kind of a look from Yuto, but didn't get one.

“I wouldn't have needed to see him clearly. He still smells the same.” Yuto's shoulders seemed to have relaxed, but his eyes were still trained on the door. “Evil recognizes evil.”

“Evil?” Takaki asked. “What are you?”

He could have worded the question better, he knew, but Yuto didn't seem offended.

“I’m a Black Shuck.” He answered dismissively. “I can tell that you still don't believe me. You don't want to. But you're kind, and I don't want something bad to happen to you so just… Watch yourself.”

Takaki swallowed, then nodded. Yuto did up the loose buttons on his jacket, the collar going up over his chin.

“That thing is not a friend.” He said. “Not to you. Not to anyone.” Then he turned and walked away. Silence followed after him until he was out of earshot, then Inoo rounded on Takaki.

“You need to explain everything. Now.”

Takaki didn't have time to comply with the request, Chinen sticking his head cautiously out the door before he opened his mouth.

“What was that thing?” He asked. He still sounded scared. Takaki felt a pit of unease fall into his stomach at the sight of him, but if Inoo was feeling the same he didn't let on. “It looked like that Grim everyone's been talking about.”

Takaki tried desperately to think up some explanation for Yuto's presence, but Inoo was faster on his feet.

“Oh, no.” He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It was just a friend of Yamada's.”

“He didn't seem very friendly.”

“Well he only just heard of what happened, and he's concerned, understandably. Plus, I think you scared him when you came in.”

“Yeah, his bark is worse than his bite.” Takaki tacked on.

“You both know this guy?” Chinen asked, surprised. They gave simultaneously awkward nods, the three of them standing and looking at each other for a moment.

“So… Do you want to come in?” Chinen asked. He was still holding the door open.

“No, we’re going to go for a walk.” Inoo said.

“...a walk? Dressed like that?”

Takaki suppressed a wince. Chinen was skeptical, and for good reason; Inoo had just declared them going for a walk of their own leisure, but it was nearly November and neither of them had on coats. Inoo was still wearing his house shoes.

“Oh!” Inoo exclaimed in a rush, realizing his mistake, and Takaki winced even harder. “Right. Distracted. We should change.”

Five quick minutes later they were actually out the door, bundled up and walking aimlessly down the street.

“Explain.” Inoo said again, and this time Takaki did. He started from the beginning, from being attacked in the hotel room, and went from there. He didn't mean to talk so much, but Inoo didn't interrupt him and it all came pouring out of him at once. It was such a relief to say everything, to talk about what he'd been going through, that when he was finished it felt as though a weight had lifted. But Inoo still didn't speak, and for a wild moment Takaki thought that maybe Inoo hadn't been listening to him.

“I agree with you.” He finally said.

“About what?” Takaki asked.

“About the attacks. They don't seem like something Chinen would do. It's out of character, and I do know him better than you. He cares a lot for Yamada--we all do--and he wouldn't just attack you, either.”

“He didn't know me.”

“But he wouldn't go looking for a fight. Besides, you looked asleep. He wouldn't do that.”

Yuto's words came back to him.

_How well do you know the man that was with you?_

“Well… Maybe we don't know what Chinen would or wouldn't do.”

Inoo frowned at him, obviously not fond of that insinuation.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it's just…” Takaki gestured vaguely, trying to find the words he wanted. It was probably wrong to trust Yuto, a mere stranger that simply claimed to have seen something in the dark, but he'd been so sure and serious that Takaki couldn't help it. “Has Chinen ever told you that he's completely human?”

“Well--” Inoo started, before cutting himself off. “I don't…” He frowned, trailing off and thinking hard. “Now that you mention it, I don't think he has, actually. He's made some insinuations, sure, but…”

Takaki gave Inoo a look until he sighed.

“Okay.” He said. “I figured we would probably have to do this anyway. I've got a spell that can tell us if Chinen and the monster that attacked you and Yamada are linked. I'll just do it, and we'll know. I'm not saying I'm suspecting Chinen, but… There'll be no harm in it.”

Takaki nodded, all for the idea. Inoo gave him a slightly sardonic grin.

“But you're the one that gets to take something from Chinen's room. And make sure it’s something he won't miss, because I'll kinda be… Setting it on fire.”

“I have to steal one of his possessions?”

Inoo nodded, suddenly all business.

“And something the monster touched. Do you have anything?”

Takaki thought for a moment. There was only one thing he could think of, and finally he sighed.

“No, but I know where I could get something that I think will work.”

He didn't like the idea of returning yet again to the hotel that he'd sworn to never go back to but here he was, Inoo standing next to him and looking around. Takaki buried his face deep into his scarf.

“I'm not really supposed to be here.” He told Inoo quietly as they entered. “I've sort of been asked by the manager to never come back, so… Could you do most of the talking?”

“What am I supposed to say?” Inoo asked back. He looked slightly alarmed. “What did you do here to get kicked out?”

Takaki didn't have time to answer; they'd reached the front desk.

“How may I help you?” The lady asked nicely.

“Uh… A hotel room. Please. For the two of us. Me and… And him. This guy.” He jerked his thumb awkwardly in Takaki's direction, his face increasingly reddening, and Takaki resisted the incredibly strong urge to put his face in his hands. But the woman just got a room key for them, and Inoo paid, and they were climbing the stairs two at a time.

“Really?” Takaki couldn't help but ask. “_Really?_”

“Shut up.” Inoo grumbled back. Once they got up to the right floor, Takaki led the way to his old hotel room.

As it turned out, stealing a lamp was much easier than Takaki expected it to be, Inoo pulling it out from under his puffy winter coat once they were back in the safety of the sharehouse, tucked away in Inoo's room.

“Easy.” Inoo said, setting the lamp on his bedside table next to his own. “I'll start setting the rest of it up here, so just get something from Chinen's room. I think he went out again; he shouldn't be home.”

Takaki nodded, his insides twisting as he crossed the hall to room he'd been told was Chinen's.

It was near picturesque in appearance, looking straight out of a furniture catalogue. The only parts of the room that actually looked used were the bed, which was slightly sloppily made, and the desk. A few of the desk drawers weren't quite closed all the way, and a pencil was laying out on the wood, a few inches away from the cup it evidently was supposed to reside in. Takaki took another step and crossed the threshold, trying to think of somewhere to look. All he needed was something that belonged to Chinen, but it had to be something the young man wouldn't realize was gone. He went for the desk, hoping to find some old notebook he could tear a page from, or a forgotten paperclip, opening the flat drawer under the table surface.

The drawer inside was a disaster. Notebooks were opened to random pages, the paper bent and scribbled on, pens and markers uncapped and strewn randomly. Takaki leafed through a few newspaper clippings, freezing when he saw his name on one of them. He pulled the piece of paper out to get a closer look, his jaw clenching when he saw the article title.  
_Acclaimed Geneticist Dies In Lab Mishap_

He read on, recognizing the story. It was a publicized version of how his father had died, telling of the apparent explosion resulting in his demise, the deaths of two other technicians, and the destruction of the information about his research; no one knew what it was he'd been working on that caused it. People his father worked with had approached them after the funeral with theories, but Takaki had done his best to ignore them. His father had passed, and he didn't need to further concern himself with the “how” and the “why”.

The last sentence of the article was underlined in black pen, and Takaki frowned at it.

_He is survived by his wife, as well as his four children, Takaki Yu, Takaki Yui, Takaki Yuya, and Takaki Yuma._

He started at his name on the paper, his frown deepening. Why did Chinen have this? A quick look told him that the other articles were about his father as well, about a few of his earlier achievements, and another one about his career after his death. Takaki became increasingly uncomfortable, stuffing the clippings back into the drawer and grabbing an old pen before closing it back up and leaving. He wondered if Chinen knew he was the same Takaki Yuya as the one mentioned. Probably, he reasoned, and that didn't make him feel any better.

Inoo was pleased by his choice, beckoning Takaki closer when he reentered Inoo's room. He closed the door behind himself and approached, looking down at the setup. Inoo was sitting cross-legged in front of a brass bowl, already filled with various herbs and other things Takaki didn't want to look too closely at. The lamp looked awkward, stuffed in unceremoniously and sticking out at an odd angle. It didn't bother Inoo though, who just took the pen from Takaki's hands and put it in the bowl as well. 

“I'm almost finished.” He reported, ripping up some leaves between his fingers and adding them in without looking. “The color of the flames will tell us what we need to know. If they're black, there's a connection between Chinen and the monster, and we should definitely be worried. If Chinen is something other than human, in general, the flames will be blue. If he is a plain person like yourself, they'll be green.”

Takaki raised his eyebrows at being called 'plain’, but didn't comment.

“So, regardless, something will happen. Are you ready?”

Takaki didn't know why he wouldn't be, so he nodded.

“Alright.” Inoo took a breath. “Get the lights, please.”

Takaki leaned over to click the light switch, the room going black instantly. He felt his breath stilling in his chest, the anticipation making him nervous, and Inoo began to speak. The words definitely weren't Japanese--they weren't any language Takaki had ever heard of, twisting Inoo’s natural speaking cadence and making his voice not sound like his own. After a few moments there was the unmistakable sound of paper catching fire, and a glow lit the room.

The fire was anticlimactic. It looked perfectly normal, orange, red, and yellow dancing about in the bowl, licking at the sides of the lamp and curling the plant matter in on itself as it burned and blackened.

“...isn't it supposed to do something?” Takaki finally asked. There was a frown in the shadows on Inoo's face.

“Yes.” Inoo said shortly. “It is supposed to do something.”

“What's wrong with it?”

“Nothing that's my fault.” Inoo reached into the fire, Takaki's eyes going wide, but he grabbed the lamp and pulled it out, his hand unscathed. “You're sure this lamp touched the monster?”

Takaki nodded. There was a large nick on the side of the base that he recognized.

“And the pen?”

“I just now grabbed it out of Chinen's desk drawer.”

The frown on Inoo's face deepened as the replaced the lamp and said a few more words. Still no change. After two short syllables and a dismissive wave of his hand, the fire extinguished itself.

“Well that didn't work.” Inoo said.

“Yeah, what happened?” Takaki asked, clicking the lights back on.

“I don't know.” Inoo confessed. “If you did everything right, like you said, then it must have been me that messed up somewhere, but… I'm near positive I didn't. Chinen is alive, he's a visceral being, but this spell isn't saying he's human or supernatural. It doesn't make sense.”

“Maybe he's an android?” Takaki suggested. Inoo gave him a look from his cross-legged seat on the floor that told him he was being stupid. “It was just a thought.” He defended himself. “If something exists and it wasn't born, it had to have been made somehow, right?”

“I probably just did something wrong.” Inoo muttered, getting to his feet. “Help me clean this up.”

The following day was Yamada's first out of bed since Takaki had seen him. He descended the stairs on shaky legs, still wrapped in bandages, but gave them all smiles once he'd reached the kitchen.

“Yamada!” Hikaru exclaimed upon seeing him. “How are you?”

“I hate stairs, but other than that I'm fine.” He answered as Daiki helped him into a chair. “I really couldn't stand staying in bed any longer.”

“It's nice to see you up and moving.” Chinen said with a nod, and Takaki couldn't help a sideways glance at him from the corner of his eye. He looked genuinely happy to see Yamada, who beamed back at him.

“Yep, it looks like nobody is going to die after all.” Inoo said. “That's good.”

“Wait, what about Takaki?” Yabu asked, confused. A few people laughed, Takaki laughing along with them. Now that the eminent danger had passed, it was a bit amusing to hear his own death talked about like it was no more consequential than the weather.

“It wasn't actually the Grim, apparently.” Inoo answered simply. “I met it; it was a Black Shuck, instead--which, in my defense, have very Grim-like features.”

“A what?” Daiki asked.

“Black Shuck.” Inoo repeated. “Kind of the sleeker, tall, dark and handsome version of Yamada, except he can transform at will from what we can tell.”

“And he's been following you around, right?” Yamada asked, pointing in Takaki's direction. “What was that about?”

Takaki chanced a glance at Inoo before speaking.

“He was worried about you, actually. He saw me carry you off and wanted to know if you were okay.”

“Wait, did he see who did it?” Keito asked excitedly. Takaki tried to keep his voice steady.

“Well, he only has one eye, and it was dark.” He said. He wasn't lying, not really. There were a round of disappointed nods.

“But he did say he helped fight the monster off.” Inoo chimed in. “If you ever see him Yamada, you probably should thank him.”

“Yeah, it sounds like he helped save my life.” Yamada's said. “Next to you, that is.”

His last phrase was directed at Takaki, who was so caught off guard and flustered by the sudden praise that he couldn't do much more than shrug his shoulders. Chinen was looking at him, but it wasn't until the conversation dispersed that Takaki realized the version of events they had just given, though closer to the truth, did not match up at all with what they had said to Chinen the day before. And evidently the young man noticed it, but to Takaki's relief, he didn't try to ask.

Takaki wasn't sure what was going on in regards to Chinen, and what himself and Inoo were trying to do. Inoo was hopelessly hung up on the fact that his spell hadn't worked and had immersed himself in research, lounging around the house in various places with his nose buried in a different book each time. Takaki was left to his own devices, but wasn't keen on taking any sort of matters into his own hands so he wandered aimlessly, looking for a job every other day and getting to know his housemates. He found that many of them were employed by Daiki and kept the sharehouse up and running, more like a hotel than anything else.

Chinen however must work somewhere else because he was gone from the house some days for hours at a time. Takaki took to observing him, trying to figure out his schedule, though he wasn't really sure why he didn't just ask. He knew he could, and he would get a simple answer, but he was having a hard time acting normal when Chinen was around. Attempting to avoid answering questions was the worst, and the forced casual that he put into his voice was so obviously fake that he kept to not opening his mouth at all.

He knew he was just paranoid, and it made him feel guilty. Chinen had done nothing wrong, not really. He'd been nothing but kind, and, aside from the scraps of newspaper Takaki saw in his desk, he'd been completely normal, too. It was he himself that was acting suspicious, being paranoid, and doing double-takes because he was so on edge he thought he started seeing things, like Chinen's fingertips looking slightly blackened, or a yellow eye opening for a split second on the back of Chinen's neck. After a few days, when the week came to a close, he knew he needed to be doing something.

“Takaki!” Inoo came skidding down the stairs and into the living room, an open book hanging loosely from his hand, his face light with excitement. He hadn't expected to see Hikaru, Yamada, and Chinen in the room as well however, the four of them in the middle of a card game. A shade of embarrassment colored his face.

“I, uh… I need to talk to you.”

Takaki raised his eyebrows questioningly. Inoo gave him a slightly despairing look.

“About our… The project.” He finished lamely. Takaki understood--_Chinen_\--but Yamada began to giggle.

“If you guys are, you know… _Together_, you know you can tell us, right?” Hikaru said looking between Inoo and Takaki.

“No!” Inoo said quickly. Then he turned to Takaki, bouncing from one foot to the other. “Please? We really need to talk.”

Not even bothering to come up with some less embarrassing reason for leaving, Takaki simply excused himself, putting down his cards and ascending the stairs behind Inoo, who was climbing them two at a time.

“What is it?” Takaki asked, wanting to know what had Inoo so antsy, but Inoo didn't answer until they were safely behind his bedroom door.

“I was thinking about the spell, and how it didn't work--”

“Yeah.”

“--and I remembered what you said, about the android thing.”

Takaki stared. “...you think Chinen is a robot?”

“No, obviously.” Inoo had his 'you’re-an-idiot’ look on his face again, which Takaki found unfair, since from what he had heard so far, this breakthrough had been his idea. “About being born versus being made. I know I did my part of the incantation right, I saw you take the pen from Chinen’s room, and the lamp is only relevant to the spell for the connection; the pen should have at least told us if Chinen was human or… Something else. But when I looked at the spell again, it was very specific about ‘man or beast’. Nothing about… I don’t know, genetic engineering. Creatures that don’t occur naturally.”

Takaki froze. Genetic engineering. _Acclaimed Geneticist Dies In Lab Mishap_.

“So I did some digging, and I actually found something.” Inoo moved to open the book in his hands, flipping to the correct page. He pushed the pages under Takaki’s nose, and Takaki took the book in his hands. “The Eldritch Abomination.”

There was a creature drawn on the page, barely recognizable as any kind of thing Takaki had ever seen, with too many of everything: eyes, mouths, limbs. He read the description under the image.

_The Eldritch Abomination is a type of creature defined by its disregard for the natural laws of the universe as we understand them. They are grotesque mockeries of reality beyond comprehension whose disturbing otherness cannot be encompassed in any mortal tongue._

“They were thought to only exist in stories and lore.” Inoo explained. “H. P. Lovecraft, you know. There have been a few accounts of them being created in labs or something, but they were never fully proven or documented.”

“And… And you think that’s what Chinen is?” Takaki asked. He thought back to the dark, monstrous creature from his hotel room, with the many mouths and eyes and claws. Inoo pursed his lips, glancing away.

“I’m just saying it’s possible, that's all.” There was reluctance in his voice.

“You still don’t think it’s Chinen.”

“Of course I don’t.” Inoo heaved a heavy sigh. “I’ve lived with Chinen for a couple of years now. He’s not a killer. He’s not a monster. So we’re going to do an unmasking spell on him. If there’s any form that he’s hiding, it’ll come out. Then we’ll know for sure.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Takaki said hesitantly. Inoo wanted a solid answer, and he understood that--he wanted one too--but Inoo had never been face to face with the monster, and if Chinen was trying to conceal it, Takaki didn’t want to draw it out under any circumstances. 

“If he’s dangerous, we need to know.” Inoo said. “And if he’s innocent, then… Well, then you’ll stop acting like a socially inept asshole, for one.”

Takaki couldn’t really debate Inoo on that; he knew he’d been acting strange. It didn’t settle any of his qualms though, Inoo giving him an assuring look.

“I know binding spells; I’ll be able to contain him. If I get started tonight the incantation will be completed by sometime tomorrow evening, does that sound good?”

“...okay.”

Takaki left once Inoo got to work, not wanting to distract him. His mind was reeling, flopping down onto his bed and staring at the ceiling. Inoo had used the words 'genetic engineering’ easily, dismissively, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He'd never pressed his father about what it was he did at work all day, because the simple answers that were always differently phrased versions of “you wouldn't understand" were so angering and discouraging. His family lived comfortably enough for Takaki to know that whatever his father did, he was good at it.

Chinen knew who his father was, judging by the unexplained newspaper clippings in his desk. He'd done research, sought out and saved information about him, but for what? He had to know something Takaki himself didn't.

His father could have done it. His father could have created an Eldritch Abomination, and it could have killed him. The monster could have killed him.

_And then it went after me._

It seemed impossible, but at the same time Takaki knew that maybe it wasn't. It could be possible. Chinen could be trying to kill him.

The thought had Takaki's throat constricting, fear twisting his stomach, and he sat up fast, putting his face in his hands. No, no. He needed to calm down. He was getting ahead of himself. Nothing was proven; he was just throwing suspicions to the wind from the word of a stranger. He couldn't psyche himself out now. They needed to follow through with Inoo's plan first, and then he would have the time to either laugh it all off, or panic completely.

He took a breath, getting to his feet just as Yabu called up the stairs that dinner was being served.

Inoo got the incantation prepared exactly by the time he said he would, coming quietly into the kitchen the next day and speaking in his ear.

“I've done it.” His arrival was sudden, his voice nearly causing Takaki to drop a mug, fumbling it and causing a splash in the sink. He and Hikaru were cleaning up the kitchen, the sun setting through the window, bringing not only the day to a close, but the whole month of October with it. “All of the setup is finished, and the binding spell is drawn up on the ceiling.”

Takaki swallowed, his nerves spiking. He tried, for his own sake, to crack a joke.

“Nothing like trapping and hexing your housemates, huh.”

Inoo just raised an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, I guess I'll be the one to go talk to Chinen because you look like more likely to throw up on him. Just go up to my room.”

Takaki nodded, replacing the mug and the sponge in the sink--dishes didn't seem so important now--and turning to go. He jumped when he saw Hikaru in the doorway, plates in each hand and his eyebrows raised. He'd heard the last sentence.

“Like I said, you can tell us.” He repeated, grinning. Inoo rolled his eyes.

“And like I said, shut up.”

Inoo went off to locate Chinen, Takaki going up to Inoo's bedroom to wait. The place had been transformed, looking less like a bedroom and more like a den. The drapes were closed, blocking out the room from the gathering dusk outside, the only light coming from the red and purple flamed candles that were placed around the floor, raised to knee-height on their candlesticks. Inoo's familiar brass bowl was back in a corner of the room and Takaki walked over to it, looking inside. It was hard to make out contents or colors in the dim lighting, but Takaki did see something that was oozing, and another something that looked like it had fur. He decided not to look much harder.

The whole setup made him feel uneasy, wrapping his arms a bit around himself subconsciously. But it was okay, he told himself. They weren't doing anything wrong. They weren't going to hurt Chinen.

Amicable conversation stopped outside Inoo's door, the knob turning, Takaki's heart leaping in his throat as soon as he saw Chinen and Inoo standing in the doorway. The instant he was met with the sight of the room Chinen dug his heels into the floor, trying to resist going in, but Inoo shoved him in the back, nearly toppling him over and causing him to stumble under the white ring on the ceiling that trapped him in place.

“H…hey.” Chinen said, his eyes darting around. “Come on Inoo, this isn't funny.” His voice was casual, his body language anything but. Inoo simply turned his back, sitting cross-legged in front of his bowl and striking a match, dropping it into mess of plant and animal matter and beginning to speak.

“Stop!” Chinen shouted, but it made no difference; the instant Inoo had started speaking his eyes rolled back into his head and he was now blankly facing the wall ahead of him, completely unresponsive. Chinen turned his efforts to Takaki.

“What's happening? What are you doing? I know something’s going on; you've been acting strange since that black dog showed up. The one you lied about.”

“We're…” Takaki was having a hard time finding his words between Inoo's muttering behind him and the fear on Chinen's face. “He said he saw you.”

“Saw me?”

There was no harm in coming clean now. The spell was already taking effect, the tips of Chinen's fingers turning black.

“He saw what attacked Yamada. He said it was you. We wanted to believe in you, Chinen, but we had to make sure.”

Inoo's voice grew louder, Chinen paling and closing his eyes. His expression was one of resignation, and Takaki realized what it meant.

“It was you.” Takaki said, his voice quiet in disbelief. “Why?”

“I didn't--” Chinen began through clenched teeth, stopping as a shuddering gasp wracked his body. His fists were clenched; he was fighting Inoo's spell. “Yes, okay? It was me. Both you and Yamada. It was me. But you have to stop this! I don't have any memory of what happens when it takes over, and…” Chinen was glitching, his limbs displacing themselves before returning in a blink, his skin blackening, yellow eyes opening wide on his neck, cheeks, and arms. The monster was breaking free. “...I can't control it.”

“Inoo!” Takaki shouted in warning, but before the sound had left his lips the fire in the brass bowl burnt itself out. The incantation was complete. Inoo glanced around, looking dazed, his eyes half open and his lips slightly parted.

“What’s--?” He began, before a loud, grotesque sound came from behind them. Takaki spun on his heel, instinctively stepping between Inoo and the monster, he strength in his limbs faltering at he looked up at it. The creature was bigger this time, bigger than he remembered, and Inoo cursed behind him.This was an Eldritch Abomination, undoubtedly. Takaki braced himself, covering his head with his forearms, but instead of lunging, the monster spoke.

“Takaki...Yuya.” It’s voice was slow, Inoo cursing under his breath. Takaki remembered the voice; it frequently haunted his nightmares. “I’ve been looking for you. But this time, you came to me.”

“Looking for me?” Takaki asked back, cursing how much his voice shook. “Why?” He hoped that maybe, if he kept the monster talking, it wouldn’t try to kill them. Not immediately, at least.

“He doesn’t want to hurt you.” The thing ignored his question. This much speech seemed difficult for it, each syllable gravelly and disjointed. “He knows that the crimes of your father aren’t a reflection of you. That hurting you won’t do anything. But your father created me. Your father ruined him. And I… Am a creature of revenge.”

It reared back, its giant black mass coiling away like a cobra, ready to strike. Inoo tried to step forward, but Takaki threw an arm into his middle, forcing him back.

“It’s okay.” Inoo told him in a low voice. “I’ve got him trapped, remember?”

Takaki just shook his head, pointing--the monster wasn’t contained to Inoo’s circle, body shifting out and around as it moved. The binding spell wasn’t affecting it.

Inoo cursed again, this time pushing his way in front of Takaki, his arms already in motion, the foreign letters of a spell dropping from his lips, directed at the Eldritch. The monster lashed out, Takaki trying to shout, reaching forward to pull Inoo back, but it was too late; its claws caught Inoo across the chest, ripping into his clothes and his skin and dragging him to the floor. He fell to his knees, gasping, and his blood looked darker and deeper in the dim candlelight. There was so much of it, Takaki moving to touch him, unsure of what to do, but Inoo held up a hand.

“Just run.” He said, his voice a choked hiss. “I’m sorry.”

“No, Inoo--” Takaki wasn’t even sure what he was trying to say, his voice too scrambled with panic to even think, but it didn’t matter. With a great growl, black and spindly fingers closed around his throat, slamming him backwards. His head hit the glass of the window behind him, and spots of darkness dotted his vision.

“I am going to kill you, Takaki Yuya.” Its voice was so deep it reverberated in Takaki’s bones, as resentful and impersonal as death itself. Takaki looked back into one of the many cat-like yellow eyes, and it blinked out of existence. Takaki closed his eyes too.

“NO.” A voice thundered, somewhere beyond the monster’s hulking frame. It was a voice Takaki had never heard and did not recognize, and the surprise for all of them was so great that the creature released its hold, Takaki gasping and sliding to the floor.

“You.” The monster hissed, and an instant later Daiki was there, in the small space between Takaki and the Eldritch, his entire being glowing with energy, wings bursting forth in an explosion of white feathers and shielding Takaki’s body.

“You are finished.” His voice was quieter but no less powerful, strong and terrible, and Takaki felt afraid. “You will not hurt them.”

Daiki extended an arm towards the monster, his palm glowing white. The creature screeched and swiped at it, cutting into Daiki’s flesh, but if the gashes hurt Daiki gave no indication, continuing to advance. And now the Eldritch was beginning to back away, jerking like a cornered and distressed animal, the white light growing brighter, and when it finally connected with the monster’s chest it was so bright it was blinding, stinging his retinas, and Takaki had to look away.

He still heard the scream though, high pitched, ringingly loud, and shockingly human, the following silence deafening. It wasn’t until ragged breathing broke the stillness of the room that Takaki opened his eyes.

The monster was gone. Daiki was still standing there, lowering his injured arm, a small heap at his feet that Takaki recognized a second later as Chinen. His eyes were closed, his body limp and still, and disbelief gripped Takaki, glancing once more at Daiki.

“Is he--”

“Unconscious.” Daiki answered quickly. His wings folded in slowly against his back. An angel, Takaki realized in shock. “I killed the monster, I know that. If one can live without the other is yet to be seen.”

He turned to Takaki, and despite his more relaxed demeanor, was still radiating energy, still radiating power, still harrowing and great, and Takaki remembered that angels weren’t sweet cherubs, not really, but the warriors of God.

“How are you?” Daiki asked him, Takaki opening his mouth when Inoo let out a choking gasp, falling to his side, Daiki’s head snapping around to the sound. His eyes widened as though he hadn’t noticed him there and maybe he hadn’t, rushing over, pulling Inoo’s upper body into his lap. Takaki got shakily to his feet, unsure for one scary moment if his legs would hold him, stumbling over to them both. Daiki’s palm was glowing again, hovering over Inoo’s bleeding chest, his face screwed up in concern. Inoo looked pale, even moreso than usual.

“An angel.” Inoo choked out, his lips barely moving. He seemed slightly delirious. “How didn’t I see it? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“He’s more stable now.” Daiki reported. “He needs blood; stay with him.”

Then Daiki was up, leaving Takaki flustered and unsure of what to do, noticing when he glanced up that somehow, Daiki now had his wings concealed. Inoo murmured his name, bringing him back as Daiki ran from the room.

“Are you okay?” Inoo asked him, and Takaki had to laugh a little, pulling Inoo’s head into his lap.

“You… You look like this, and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” Inoo’s chest was torn to ribbons; Takaki couldn’t look at the wounds directly without his stomach twisting, so he didn’t.

“This kind of was all for you.” Inoo pointed out, a small smiling breaking through the obvious pain on his face. “Besides, Daiki’s taking care of me. I’ll live.”

He glanced over at Chinen’s body, and Takaki looked too, able now to see that Chinen was in fact breathing. Some part of him did feel relief at that. More than anything though, he still felt shell-shocked, as though his body was disconnected from the rest of him, floating through space and time. He let his fingers fall through Inoo’s hair, trying to ground himself.

“Takaki?” Inoo asked at the contact, his voice quiet and questioning, and Takaki met his eyes.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, or anything, but… I think I need to move out.”

Inoo let out a loud, coughing laugh, and in spite of himself, Takaki smiled too.


End file.
